Waltz s book belongs to an important style of theorizing, in which far-reaching. conclusions about a domain in this case, the domain of international

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Waltz s book belongs to an important style of theorizing, in which far-reaching. conclusions about a domain in this case, the domain of international"

Transcription

1 Notes on Waltz Waltz s book belongs to an important style of theorizing, in which far-reaching conclusions about a domain in this case, the domain of international politics are derived from a very spare set of premises. The classic example of this style of political theory is Hobbes s Leviathan. There, Hobbes claims that a minimal and plausible set of premises about human nature implies a large conclusion about political society. In particular, he makes two claims: first, he argues that if people are concerned with their own preservation and future well-being; uncertain about the motives of others; relatively equal in natural capacities; interdependent, in the sense that their preservation and happiness depend on the conduct of others; concerned about their own sense of self-worth; and prone to various passions (including fear, pride, envy, and jealousy) that can lead them to act against their own long-term interests, then it follows: first, that in anarchic conditions (with no authority), there would be a state of war, in which everyone is prepared to fight (and knows that others are too), and as a result life would be nasty, poor, brutish, and short, and our interests in preservation and future well-being would not be advanced; and second, that the only stable solution to the problem of anarchy and conflict is common submission to the will and judgment of an absolute political authority. Moreover, second, he argues that the various conditions in the antecedent of the conditional I just stated are truths about human nature: not truths that about what

2 human beings are like in some circumstances, but simply about what human beings as such are like. Now, there are certain important substantive analogies between Waltz s view and Hobbes s, but I am not here interested in those points of substantive overlap. I am interested instead in the fact that both draw sweeping conclusions from an apparently spare set of assumptions in Hobbes s cases, assumptions about people; in Waltz s case, assumptions about the position of states and that they take those assumptions to be very broadly true. Correspondingly, in evaluating their arguments we need to ask two questions: (1) do their conclusions follow from the premises? So, in the case of Hobbes we want to know whether the assumptions about people, once they are reasonably precisely stated, really do imply that the state of nature would be a state of war, and that the only stable alternative is political absolutism. At least one strand of Lockean criticism of Hobbes says that you can, arguing from basically Hobbesian premises, defend a more limited, constitutional government; (2) second, if the conclusions do follow from the premises, then we want to know whether the premises really have such broadly applicability. So one strand of Rousseauean criticism of Hobbes says that, while it may be true that political absolutism is required to preserve a stable peace among Hobbesian agents, nevertheless, Hobbes has not described human beings as they are by nature, but rather as they have become as their many possibilities have been expressed under one possible set of social conditions.

3 The two lines of criticism are different: the first suggests that the premises themselves are less constraining of political possibilities than the argument supposes; the second allows that the premises may be very constraining, but then argues that the premises themselves are more historically specific than they are presented as being, and need not be taken as fixed. But the two lines of criticism converge in suggesting that the range of social and political possibilities is wider than the theory tells us. That is an important result. So in exploring Waltz s theory, we want to know three things: (1) what are the central claims he defends about the conduct of international politics; (2) what are his premises about states and their relations; and (3) do his premises lead to his conclusions? The reason for pursuing the exercise is not to quibble about logical gaps, but to see whether the space of possibility is greater than Waltz s argument might suggest. 1. What are some of the implications that Waltz draws from his structural/systems theory of international politics? Central claims about how states conduct their business in relation to one another. International politics is a self-help system (principle of action), unlike domestic politics. This appears to have both an organizational and a motivational interpretation: (i) organizationally, agents (states) must be prepared to defend themselves, whereas in domestic system an organization provides protection against private force; (ii) motivationally, states act for their own sakes (112); for their own interests (113); security is the highest end (126). More particularly, states typically use the methods described by the idea of Realpolitik (117): (a) state s interest provides the spring of action; (b) what states need to do is determined by the unregulated competition of states ; (c) can work out policies that serve these needs by calculation; (d) test of success is survival and strengthening state. Question we want to ask is: is it true that international politics is a self-help system, and if it is a self-help system in the

4 organizational sense, then why do states use the methods of Realpolitik? What other methods for the conduct of policy might be used? The state system tends to a balance of power: (i) as to the balancing part: we see balancing rather than bandwagoning (siding with the more powerful), or buckpassing that does not lead to balancing (not that there is no buckpassing, but that it happens when someone else can be expected to pick up the slack); (ii) as to the power part, states balance against power or capabilities (correct for imbalances of power), not against threats: the distinction is that an assessment of threats requires an assessment of intentions. So for example, growth rate in military spending will be greater in less powerful state/alliance than in more powerful, regardless of any assessment of intentions: worried about what others can do to you, not in the first instance about whether they are likely to try; (iii) the policies that lead to balance involve alliances with surprising allies (France/Russia) and the adoption of surprising practices (large military spending by US after WWII) States emulate (127-28) each other and are socialized into the norms of interstate competition, and the resulting of emulation and socialization is greater unity of conduct than of culture, regime, history: (i) they emulate military practices and doctrines of competitors, even when those practices and doctrines are at odds with their own aspirations and ideologies (consider the case of revolutionary regimes); (ii) states with different regimes and cultures adopt practices that are more common across states than would have been expected, given their differences. States often fail to cooperate: (i) these failures hold, even when mutual gains are possible through specialization and associated interdependence, or by accepting a common set of rules (about the use of a resource, or the generation of a benefit), and when the possibility of such gains is well-understood; (ii) efforts to break out of these patterns of limited cooperation by adopting new policies and new agreements tend to break down. Bipolar systems behave in fundamentally different ways from multipolar systems: (i) in bipolar systems, balancing principally takes the form internal efforts to increase the various bases of power (it could also take a more imperial or colonial form); in multipolar systems, balancing works principally through alliances (and divide-and-rule): this is the defining difference between bipolar and multipolar systems (163); (ii) bipolar systems are more stable than multipolar systems, where more stable means more peaceful (second meaning of stability has to do with enabling cooperation).

5 2. Structural Theory of these Patterns Main explanation of these features is structure of system: (i) structure is an arrangement of parts: a system of relations among units (positions); (ii) not a characterization of the internal properties of the units themselves, whether their regimes, cultures, histories, aims, or capacities (except in relation to the capacities of others).. Main structural distinction is between anarchy and hierarchy, as ordering principles : (i) international politics, the units are states; (ii) the basic relation between and among states is characterized by anarchy; (iii) in anarchy, no agent organized to prevent the private use of force (104), whereas in hierarchy there is a monopoly on the legitimate use of power. Structural variation, given ordering principle: (i) distribution of capabilities, meaning numbers of major powers (or poles); (ii) the fundamental distinction, because of differences of alliance methods, is between bipolar and multipolar; (iii) power is multidimensional, and it is the cumulative effect of many dimensions that is expressed in an ordering according to capabilities, which include territory and population, Structural explanation (causation): (i) consequences for conduct of relations between states follow from assumptions about structure, both anarchy itself, and distribution of capabilities; (ii) way that structure causes effects is either through competition/selection or socialization; (iii) not causation of an event by a prior event, or of a result as intended by an agent, but explanation of a pattern or regularity by reference to the constraints under which agents act. 3. Connections Between Structural Theory and Implications What explains the use of Realpolitik methods? (i) one answer is that the characteristic aims of states are assumed or postulated: namely, that states pursue their interests, and that security is the highest interest. They are assumed, and then we see what results from the assumption. But Waltz says something different (117): that they are a product of structural constraints, in particular the constraints imposed by anarchy; (ii) so a second answer, of this structural kind, is that it is a matter of selection, on the model of natural selection, where the explanation of the pervasive presence of a trait in a population is explained by the reproductive success of organisms with the trait, and the failure of organisms that lack it: they fall by the wayside (77). So here the idea would be that, given the condition of anarchy, states that do not use Realpolitik methods go out of existence, like firms that go bankrupt (77). This argument gives substance to the idea of a structural constraint of a structural cause that accounts

6 for a result by operating as a constraint that reduces variation but the trouble with applying it here is that states VERY rarely go out of existence; (iii) sometimes, it is said that states emulate other successful states, as part of a process of socialization: if some states do relatively well, others will emulate them or fall by the wayside (118). But it is not clear why we should expect emulation of a kind that works to substantially reduce variation and lead all to Realpolitik methods unless the emulation is necessary to survival, or we make some more substantial motivational assumptions about what drives political decision makers; (iv) important that Waltz wants to account for the use of these methods structurally, without depending on assumptions about the rationality or the psychology of decision makers: without relying on properties of the units, rather than the relations between units. Why does anarchy lead to balancing of power? (i) the idea is that if states use Realpolitik methods, then Why is bipolar system especially stable: (I) in a bipolar system there is very little interdependence among the great powers, in the sense of mutual vulnerability, and very little dependence of the poles on the periphery. Intuitive idea then seems to be that, if you are not very vulnerable, then you can be indifferent to a great deal of what happens: the costs of, and the odds on, losing our trading partners, is very low (159). So the great powers can do what they need to ensure their own security; (ii) in a bipolar system, no needs of great powers to make decisions through accommodation of other powers, which can produce rigidity rather than flexibility; (iii) in a bipolar system, there is a crisper sense of responsibility, because the major powers cannot expect problems to be addressed by other major powers (minimizes buckpassing); (iv) the stability of a bipolar system can be upset by changes anywhere in the system The limits on interstate cooperation result from anarchical structure, in two ways ( ): (i) because of concerns about the division of the benefits of cooperation, which may be damaging or destructive to security because the gains translate into power (concern about relative gains may not be so prominent in the domestic case, unless there is strong envy or zero-sum politics). So it is inconsistent with balancing to cooperate in a project that assigns a greater share of benefits to another state; (ii) because of concerns about dependence and the resulting vulnerability: states do not willingly place themselves in situations of increased dependence (107), so there are limits on specialization; (iii) because the undesirable results that come from failures of cooperation reflect the structure in international politics cannot be changed without changing the structure of the system of international politics. And changing the structure would impose large organizational costs, produce lots of conflict by establishing a large prize

7 in the form of a central power, which would need to be very powerful to hold the hierarchy together (111-12).

Realism. John Lee Department of Political Science Florida State University

Realism. John Lee Department of Political Science Florida State University Realism John Lee Department of Political Science Florida State University Lenses of Analysis First level is the individual. Second level if the state. Third level is the system. Many consider these distinctions

More information

(Courtesy of Caitlin Talmadge. Used with permission.) Caitlin Talmadge October 2004 PAPER 2: WALTZ

(Courtesy of Caitlin Talmadge. Used with permission.) Caitlin Talmadge October 2004 PAPER 2: WALTZ (Courtesy of Caitlin Talmadge. Used with permission.) PAPER 2: WALTZ Caitlin Talmadge 17.960 8 October 2004 In his aptly titled Theory of International Politics (1978), Kenneth Waltz presents what he calls

More information

A system is a set of units that interact with one another on a regular basis and according to a set of rules that stem from a well-defined structure.

A system is a set of units that interact with one another on a regular basis and according to a set of rules that stem from a well-defined structure. A system is a set of units that interact with one another on a regular basis and according to a set of rules that stem from a well-defined structure. The key function of a system is to preserve its structure.

More information

Phil 115, June 13, 2007 The argument from the original position: set-up and intuitive presentation and the two principles over average utility

Phil 115, June 13, 2007 The argument from the original position: set-up and intuitive presentation and the two principles over average utility Phil 115, June 13, 2007 The argument from the original position: set-up and intuitive presentation and the two principles over average utility What is the role of the original position in Rawls s theory?

More information

POSITIVIST AND POST-POSITIVIST THEORIES

POSITIVIST AND POST-POSITIVIST THEORIES A theory of international relations is a set of ideas that explains how the international system works. Unlike an ideology, a theory of international relations is (at least in principle) backed up with

More information

Theory and Realism POL3: INTRO TO IR

Theory and Realism POL3: INTRO TO IR Theory and Realism POL3: INTRO TO IR I. Theories 2 Theory: statement of relationship between causes and events i.e. story of why a relationship exists Two components of theories 1) Dependent variable,

More information

Chapter 8: Power in Global Politics and the Causes of War

Chapter 8: Power in Global Politics and the Causes of War Chapter 8: Power in Global Politics and the Causes of War I. Introduction II. The quest for power and influence A. Power has always been central to studies of conflict B. Hard power C. Soft power D. Structural

More information

In Nations and Nationalism, Ernest Gellner says that nationalism is a theory of

In Nations and Nationalism, Ernest Gellner says that nationalism is a theory of Global Justice, Spring 2003, 1 Comments on National Self-Determination 1. The Principle of Nationality In Nations and Nationalism, Ernest Gellner says that nationalism is a theory of political legitimacy

More information

Ahmed Tayia & Kaveh Madani Centre for Environmental Policy

Ahmed Tayia & Kaveh Madani Centre for Environmental Policy Transboundary water conflict resolution mechanisms Toward convergence between theory and practice Ahmed Tayia & Kaveh Madani Centre for Environmental Policy Research Objectives Mutual interdependence National

More information

Chapter 7: CONTENPORARY MAINSTREAM APPROACHES: NEO-REALISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM. By Baylis 5 th edition

Chapter 7: CONTENPORARY MAINSTREAM APPROACHES: NEO-REALISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM. By Baylis 5 th edition Chapter 7: CONTENPORARY MAINSTREAM APPROACHES: NEO-REALISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM By Baylis 5 th edition INTRODUCTION p. 116 Neo-realism and neo-liberalism are the progeny of realism and liberalism respectively

More information

John Rawls THEORY OF JUSTICE

John Rawls THEORY OF JUSTICE John Rawls THEORY OF JUSTICE THE ROLE OF JUSTICE Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. A theory however elegant and economical must be rejected or revised

More information

REALISM INTRODUCTION NEED OF THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

REALISM INTRODUCTION NEED OF THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS REALISM INTRODUCTION NEED OF THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS We need theories of International Relations to:- a. Understand subject-matter of IR. b. Know important, less important and not important matter

More information

ANARCHY AND POWER What Causes War? Ch. 10. The International System notes by Denis Bašić

ANARCHY AND POWER What Causes War? Ch. 10. The International System notes by Denis Bašić ANARCHY AND POWER What Causes War? Ch. 10. The International System notes by Denis Bašić INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM AND ANARCHY Some scholars believe that the international system is characterized by anarchy;

More information

War in the Middle East. Raymond Hinnebusch University of St Andrews

War in the Middle East. Raymond Hinnebusch University of St Andrews War in the Middle East Raymond Hinnebusch University of St Andrews Middle East War Proness 1946-92, 9 of 21 inter-state wars were in MENA 4 of the 5 in the 1980s and 1990s (if Afghanistan is included in

More information

Politics between Philosophy and Democracy

Politics between Philosophy and Democracy Leopold Hess Politics between Philosophy and Democracy In the present paper I would like to make some comments on a classic essay of Michael Walzer Philosophy and Democracy. The main purpose of Walzer

More information

2. Realism is important to study because it continues to guide much thought regarding international relations.

2. Realism is important to study because it continues to guide much thought regarding international relations. Chapter 2: Theories of World Politics TRUE/FALSE 1. A theory is an example, model, or essential pattern that structures thought about an area of inquiry. F DIF: High REF: 30 2. Realism is important to

More information

Ethics Handout 18 Rawls, Classical Utilitarianism and Nagel, Equality

Ethics Handout 18 Rawls, Classical Utilitarianism and Nagel, Equality 24.231 Ethics Handout 18 Rawls, Classical Utilitarianism and Nagel, Equality The Utilitarian Principle of Distribution: Society is rightly ordered, and therefore just, when its major institutions are arranged

More information

Why Do Nations Fight?

Why Do Nations Fight? Why Do Nations Fight? Erik Gartzke POLI 12, Lecture 2b August 9, 2010 Why Do Nations Fight? Nations go to war for some of the same reasons as individuals fight There are also bound to be differences. Differences

More information

Theories of International Political Economy II: Marxism and Constructivism

Theories of International Political Economy II: Marxism and Constructivism Theories of International Political Economy II: Marxism and Constructivism Min Shu Waseda University 17 April 2017 International Political Economy 1 An outline of the lecture The basics of Marxism Marxist

More information

Thomas Hobbes v. John Locke

Thomas Hobbes v. John Locke Thomas Hobbes v. John Locke Background: Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were philosophers that wrote about government and theorized about man in the state of nature. They both talked about man s nature and

More information

Election Theory. How voters and parties behave strategically in democratic systems. Mark Crowley

Election Theory. How voters and parties behave strategically in democratic systems. Mark Crowley How voters and parties behave strategically in democratic systems Department of Computer Science University of British Columbia January 30, 2006 Sources Voting Theory Jeff Gill and Jason Gainous. "Why

More information

idolatry. Claro Mayo Recto 10 Institute for Political and Electoral Reform

idolatry. Claro Mayo Recto 10 Institute for Political and Electoral Reform In truth, actual events tamper with the Constitution. History reveals its defects and dangers. I believe we can do better service to the Constitution by remedying its defects and meeting the criticisms

More information

Liberalism. Neoliberalism/Liberal Institutionalism

Liberalism. Neoliberalism/Liberal Institutionalism IEOs Week 2 October 24 Theoretical Foundations I Liberalism - Grotius (17 th ), Kant (18 th ), Wilson (20 th ) - Humans are basically good, rational, and capable of improving their lot. Injustice, aggression,

More information

John Paul Tabakian, Ed.D. Political Science 2 Modern World Governments Fall 2017 / Spring 2017 Power Point 3

John Paul Tabakian, Ed.D. Political Science 2 Modern World Governments Fall 2017 / Spring 2017 Power Point 3 John Paul Tabakian, Ed.D. Political Science 2 Modern World Governments Fall 2017 / Spring 2017 Power Point 3 Course Lecture Topics (1) This Week s Lecture Covers: The West Versus The Rest Examining Globalization

More information

Definition: Institution public system of rules which defines offices and positions with their rights and duties, powers and immunities p.

Definition: Institution public system of rules which defines offices and positions with their rights and duties, powers and immunities p. RAWLS Project: to interpret the initial situation, formulate principles of choice, and then establish which principles should be adopted. The principles of justice provide an assignment of fundamental

More information

Justifying the State. Protection and Power

Justifying the State. Protection and Power Justifying the State Protection and Power Review: Justifying the state: What are the ultimate goals? How can our loss of freedom can be justified! OK here are some justifications Consent: The social contract

More information

Realism. The political world is made up of states, political communities occupying territory

Realism. The political world is made up of states, political communities occupying territory Waltz made simple Realism The political world is made up of states, political communities occupying territory There is no world government or sovereign; this is called anarchy (without a head). States

More information

Nationalism in International Context. 4. IR Theory I - Constructivism National Identity and Real State Interests 23 October 2012

Nationalism in International Context. 4. IR Theory I - Constructivism National Identity and Real State Interests 23 October 2012 Nationalism in International Context 4. IR Theory I - Constructivism National Identity and Real State Interests 23 October 2012 The International Perspective We have mainly considered ethnicity and nationalism

More information

Mark Scheme (Results) Summer Pearson Edexcel GCE in Government & Politics (6GP03) Paper 3B: UK Political Ideologies

Mark Scheme (Results) Summer Pearson Edexcel GCE in Government & Politics (6GP03) Paper 3B: UK Political Ideologies ` Mark Scheme (Results) Summer 2017 Pearson Edexcel GCE in Government & Politics (6GP03) Paper 3B: UK Political Ideologies Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications Edexcel and BTEC qualifications are awarded by

More information

Political Science Introduction to American Politics

Political Science Introduction to American Politics 1 / 17 Political Science 17.20 Introduction to American Politics Professor Devin Caughey MIT Department of Political Science Lecture 2: Analytic Foundations February 7, 2013 2 / 17 Outline 1 Collective

More information

U.S. Foreign Policy: The Puzzle of War

U.S. Foreign Policy: The Puzzle of War U.S. Foreign Policy: The Puzzle of War Branislav L. Slantchev Department of Political Science, University of California, San Diego Last updated: January 15, 2016 It is common knowledge that war is perhaps

More information

Systems Thinking and Culture in International Relations: A Foreign Policy Approach

Systems Thinking and Culture in International Relations: A Foreign Policy Approach Systems Thinking and Culture in International Relations: A Foreign Policy Approach By Roozbeh Safdari Ghandehari Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment

More information

Last time we discussed a stylized version of the realist view of global society.

Last time we discussed a stylized version of the realist view of global society. Political Philosophy, Spring 2003, 1 The Terrain of a Global Normative Order 1. Realism and Normative Order Last time we discussed a stylized version of the realist view of global society. According to

More information

1) Is the "Clash of Civilizations" too broad of a conceptualization to be of use? Why or why not?

1) Is the Clash of Civilizations too broad of a conceptualization to be of use? Why or why not? 1) Is the "Clash of Civilizations" too broad of a conceptualization to be of use? Why or why not? Huntington makes good points about the clash of civilizations and ideologies being a cause of conflict

More information

Causes of Conflict & Political Violence: An Introduction & Review of Anarchy in IR

Causes of Conflict & Political Violence: An Introduction & Review of Anarchy in IR Causes of Conflict & Political Violence: An Introduction & Review of Anarchy in IR MVZ 203 / 448 Spring 2010 Masaryk University Dave McCuan Let s begin with a basic point: Conflict ranges from minor disagreements,

More information

Liberalism and Neoliberalism

Liberalism and Neoliberalism Chapter 5 Pedigree of the Liberal Paradigm Rousseau (18c) Kant (18c) Liberalism and Neoliberalism LIBERALISM (1920s) (Utopianism/Idealism) Neoliberalism (1970s) Neoliberal Institutionalism (1980s-90s)

More information

FREE EXCHANGE AND ETHICAL DECISIONS

FREE EXCHANGE AND ETHICAL DECISIONS Volume 17, no. 2 (Spring 2003), pp. 1 9 2003 Ludwig von Mises Institute www.mises.org FREE EXCHANGE AND ETHICAL DECISIONS Sorin Cucerai * AUTARCHIC EXCHANGE VS. FREE EXCHANGE The economic theory of interpersonal

More information

POLI 359 Public Policy Making

POLI 359 Public Policy Making POLI 359 Public Policy Making Session 10-Policy Change Lecturer: Dr. Kuyini Abdulai Mohammed, Dept. of Political Science Contact Information: akmohammed@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing

More information

Liberalism and Neo-Liberalism

Liberalism and Neo-Liberalism Liberalism and Neo-Liberalism Different operational assumptions from Realisms Units of analysis include the state, interest groups, or international institutions Neo-liberal institutionalists accept the

More information

Terry and Substantive Law

Terry and Substantive Law St. John's Law Review Volume 72 Issue 3 Volume 72, Summer-Fall 1998, Numbers 3-4 Article 30 March 2012 Terry and Substantive Law William J. Stuntz Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/lawreview

More information

I. Rocco s Critique of Liberalism, Democracy and Socialism

I. Rocco s Critique of Liberalism, Democracy and Socialism Alfredo Rocco (1875-1935) The Political Doctrine of Fascism (1925) Minister of Justice under Mussolini. Mussolini founded the Fascist party in Italy in 1919; rose to power in 1922; assassinated in 1945

More information

Phil 116, April 5, 7, and 9 Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia

Phil 116, April 5, 7, and 9 Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia Phil 116, April 5, 7, and 9 Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia Robert Nozick s Anarchy, State and Utopia: First step: A theory of individual rights. Second step: What kind of political state, if any, could

More information

1 Introduction. Laura Werup Final Exam Fall 2013 IBP Pol. Sci.

1 Introduction. Laura Werup Final Exam Fall 2013 IBP Pol. Sci. 1 Introduction 1.1 Background A distinction has been drawn between domestic and international realms of politics, reflecting differences between what occurs within the state and what occurs in relations

More information

Understanding US Foreign Policy Through the Lens of Theories of International Relations

Understanding US Foreign Policy Through the Lens of Theories of International Relations Understanding US Foreign Policy Through the Lens of Theories of International Relations Dave McCuan Masaryk University & Sonoma State University Fall 2009 Introduction to USFP & IR Theory Let s begin with

More information

Social and Political Philosophy

Social and Political Philosophy Schedule Social and Political Philosophy Philosophy 33 Fall 2006 Wednesday, 30 August OVERVIEW I have two aspirations for this course. First, I would like to cover what the major texts in political philosophy

More information

Absolutism. Absolutism, political system in which there is no legal, customary, or moral limit on the government s

Absolutism. Absolutism, political system in which there is no legal, customary, or moral limit on the government s Absolutism I INTRODUCTION Absolutism, political system in which there is no legal, customary, or moral limit on the government s power. The term is generally applied to political systems ruled by a single

More information

Modeling Conflict. Thomas Chadefaux Chair of Sociology, in particular of Modeling and Simulation

Modeling Conflict. Thomas Chadefaux Chair of Sociology, in particular of Modeling and Simulation Modeling Conflict Thomas Chadefaux www.soms.ethz.ch 1 Why We Fight War as the result of irrationality Human nature Psychology Evolutionary perspective War as the outcome of calculated, rational decisions

More information

Justice As Fairness: Political, Not Metaphysical (Excerpts)

Justice As Fairness: Political, Not Metaphysical (Excerpts) primarysourcedocument Justice As Fairness: Political, Not Metaphysical, Excerpts John Rawls 1985 [Rawls, John. Justice As Fairness: Political Not Metaphysical. Philosophy and Public Affairs 14, no. 3.

More information

PRIVATIZATION AND INSTITUTIONAL CHOICE

PRIVATIZATION AND INSTITUTIONAL CHOICE PRIVATIZATION AND INSTITUTIONAL CHOICE Neil K. K omesar* Professor Ronald Cass has presented us with a paper which has many levels and aspects. He has provided us with a taxonomy of privatization; a descripton

More information

PHI 1500: Major Issues in Philosophy

PHI 1500: Major Issues in Philosophy PHI 1500: Major Issues in Philosophy Session 10 October 7 th, 2015 Human Nature: Hobbes 1 Ø Today we start discussing the connection between human nature and political systems. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679):

More information

The Forgotten Principles of American Government by Daniel Bonevac

The Forgotten Principles of American Government by Daniel Bonevac The Forgotten Principles of American Government by Daniel Bonevac The United States is the only country founded, not on the basis of ethnic identity, territory, or monarchy, but on the basis of a philosophy

More information

GOVT 2060 International Relations: Theories and Approaches Fall 2017

GOVT 2060 International Relations: Theories and Approaches Fall 2017 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES ST. AUGUSTINE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE GOVT 2060 International Relations: Theories and Approaches Fall 2017 Topic 4 Neorealism The end

More information

Phil 115, June 20, 2007 Justice as fairness as a political conception: the fact of reasonable pluralism and recasting the ideas of Theory

Phil 115, June 20, 2007 Justice as fairness as a political conception: the fact of reasonable pluralism and recasting the ideas of Theory Phil 115, June 20, 2007 Justice as fairness as a political conception: the fact of reasonable pluralism and recasting the ideas of Theory The problem with the argument for stability: In his discussion

More information

Test Bank. to accompany. Joseph S. Nye David A. Welch. Prepared by Marcel Dietsch University of Oxford. Longman

Test Bank. to accompany. Joseph S. Nye David A. Welch. Prepared by Marcel Dietsch University of Oxford. Longman Test Bank to accompany Understanding Global Conflict and Cooperation Joseph S. Nye David A. Welch Prepared by Marcel Dietsch University of Oxford Longman New York Boston San Francisco London Toronto Sydney

More information

D. There are both positive and normative branches of the public choice literatures

D. There are both positive and normative branches of the public choice literatures I. The Necessity of Collective Decision Making A. In principle, every time a group of individuals undertakes a joint enterprise of some kind: choose a restaurant, play a game, create a firm, lobby for

More information

Critical Theory and Constructivism

Critical Theory and Constructivism Chapter 7 Pedigree of the Critical Theory Paradigm Critical Theory and Ø Distinguishing characteristics: p The critical theory is a kind of reflectivism, comparative with rationalism, or problem-solving

More information

Chapter Two: Normative Theories of Ethics

Chapter Two: Normative Theories of Ethics Chapter Two: Normative Theories of Ethics This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission

More information

Marxism and Constructivism

Marxism and Constructivism Theories of International Political Economy II: Marxism and Constructivism Min Shu Waseda University 2018/5/8 International Political Economy 1 An outline of the lecture The basics of Marxism Marxist IPE

More information

The Liberal Paradigm. Session 6

The Liberal Paradigm. Session 6 The Liberal Paradigm Session 6 Pedigree of the Liberal Paradigm Rousseau (18c) Kant (18c) LIBERALISM (1920s) (Utopianism/Idealism) Neoliberalism (1970s) Neoliberal Institutionalism (1980s-90s) 2 Major

More information

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION CES Working Papers Volume VII, Issue 3 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION Gabriel Ciprian ANDRUSEAC Iulian HERTUG ** Abstract: Economic cooperation, the engine of relations of international

More information

Activity Three: The Enlightenment ACTIVITY CARD

Activity Three: The Enlightenment ACTIVITY CARD ACTIVITY CARD During the 1700 s, European philosophers thought that people should use reason to free themselves from ignorance and superstition. They believed that people who were enlightened by reason

More information

PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS '' ' IIIII mil mil urn A 383358 PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS PEOPLE'S POWER, PREFERENCES, AND PERCEPTIONS SECOND EDITION Bruce Bueno de Mesquita New York University and Hoover Institution at Stanford

More information

The Morality of Conflict

The Morality of Conflict The Morality of Conflict Reasonable Disagreement and the Law Samantha Besson HART- PUBLISHING OXFORD AND PORTLAND, OREGON 2005 '"; : Contents Acknowledgements vii Introduction 1 I. The issue 1 II. The

More information

PHIL 168: Philosophy of Law UCSD; Fall 2015 Prof. David O. Brink Handout #2: Hart's Model of Rules and Legal Realism

PHIL 168: Philosophy of Law UCSD; Fall 2015 Prof. David O. Brink Handout #2: Hart's Model of Rules and Legal Realism Draft of 9-23- 15 PHIL 168: Philosophy of Law UCSD; Fall 2015 Prof. David O. Brink Handout #2: Hart's Model of Rules and Legal Realism Hart develops his own conception of the nature of law in the wake

More information

III. PUBLIC CHOICE AND GOVERNMENT AS A SOLUTION

III. PUBLIC CHOICE AND GOVERNMENT AS A SOLUTION Econ 1905: Government Fall, 2007 III. PUBLIC CHOICE AND GOVERNMENT AS A SOLUTION A. PROBLEMS OF COLLECTIVE ACTION A standard method of analysis in social sciences (not economics) is to predict actions

More information

Why Do We Need Government?

Why Do We Need Government? Why Do We Need Government? Have you ever stopped to think about why we need government in the first place? What would the world be like if there were no government? A Practical Perspective Have you ever

More information

A political theory of territory

A political theory of territory A political theory of territory Margaret Moore Oxford University Press, New York, 2015, 263pp., ISBN: 978-0190222246 Contemporary Political Theory (2017) 16, 293 298. doi:10.1057/cpt.2016.20; advance online

More information

The EU and the special ten : deepening or widening Strategic Partnerships?

The EU and the special ten : deepening or widening Strategic Partnerships? > > P O L I C Y B R I E F I S S N : 1 9 8 9-2 6 6 7 Nº 76 - JUNE 2011 The EU and the special ten : deepening or widening Strategic Partnerships? Susanne Gratius >> In the last two decades, the EU has established

More information

From consensus on neutrality to a divided opinion on NATO

From consensus on neutrality to a divided opinion on NATO From consensus on neutrality to a divided opinion on NATO A study of the Swedish foreign- and security policy debate: 1989-2018 Olof Mathiesen UPPSALA UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT MASTER S THESIS

More information

DIGITAL PUBLIC DIPLOMACY & NATION BRANDING: SESSION 4 THE GREAT DEBATES IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

DIGITAL PUBLIC DIPLOMACY & NATION BRANDING: SESSION 4 THE GREAT DEBATES IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DIGITAL PUBLIC DIPLOMACY & NATION BRANDING: SESSION 4 THE GREAT DEBATES IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Universidad Del Desarrollo Prof. Matt Erlandsen August 22 nd, 2017 PREVIOUSLY Definition of International

More information

The third debate: Neorealism versus Neoliberalism and their views on cooperation

The third debate: Neorealism versus Neoliberalism and their views on cooperation The third debate: Neorealism versus Neoliberalism and their views on cooperation The issue of international cooperation, especially through institutions, remains heavily debated within the International

More information

Legal development: getting from here to there

Legal development: getting from here to there Legal development: getting from here to there How do societies make the shift from repressive law to autonomous law? Why should we care? Helps us understand the past Helps us predict the future Why aren

More information

Knowledge about Conflict and Peace

Knowledge about Conflict and Peace Knowledge about Conflict and Peace by Dr Samson S Wassara, University of Khartoum, Sudan Extract from the Anglican Peace and Justice Network report Community Transformation: Violence and the Church s Response,

More information

M. Fatih Tayfur Department of International Relations, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey

M. Fatih Tayfur Department of International Relations, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey METU Studies in Development, 27 (3-4) 2000, 265-299 Systemic-structural approaches, world-system analysis and the study of foreign policy M. Fatih Tayfur Department of International Relations, Middle East

More information

Origins of the Cold War

Origins of the Cold War Origins of the Cold War Origins of the Cold War Ideological Differences Different philosophies/ideologies: Democratic Capitalism Marxist-Leninist Communism: Let the ruling class tremble Marx. Economic-Political

More information

In his account of justice as fairness, Rawls argues that treating the members of a

In his account of justice as fairness, Rawls argues that treating the members of a Justice, Fall 2003 Feminism and Multiculturalism 1. Equality: Form and Substance In his account of justice as fairness, Rawls argues that treating the members of a society as free and equal achieving fair

More information

Comparative Advantage and The Limits of Freedom. Ricardo and Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments

Comparative Advantage and The Limits of Freedom. Ricardo and Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments Comparative Advantage and The Limits of Freedom Ricardo and Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments Review Wealth of Nations: Selfishness leads to social harmony Interaction of selfish motives social harmony

More information

24.03: Good Food 3/13/17. Justice and Food Production

24.03: Good Food 3/13/17. Justice and Food Production 1. Food Sovereignty, again Justice and Food Production Before when we talked about food sovereignty (Kyle Powys Whyte reading), the main issue was the protection of a way of life, a culture. In the Thompson

More information

The Fallacy of the Chinese

The Fallacy of the Chinese City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Master's Theses City College of New York 2015 The Fallacy of the Chinese Nirvan Govind CUNY City College How does access to this work benefit you?

More information

CHAPTER 3: Theories of International Relations: Realism and Liberalism

CHAPTER 3: Theories of International Relations: Realism and Liberalism 1. According to the author, the state of theory in international politics is characterized by a. misunderstanding and fear. b. widespread agreement and cooperation. c. disagreement and debate. d. misperception

More information

The Precautionary Principle, Trade and the WTO

The Precautionary Principle, Trade and the WTO The Precautionary Principle, Trade and the WTO A Discussion Paper for the European Commission Consultation on Trade and Sustainable Development November 7th 2000 Peter Hardstaff, Trade Policy Officer,

More information

CHAPTER 15: Conclusion: Power and Purpose in a Changing World

CHAPTER 15: Conclusion: Power and Purpose in a Changing World 1. The book offers all of the following goals except a. expression of a single, unified theory to explain all of international politics. b. improving understanding of international politics. c. evaluating

More information

Test Bank Chapter 2 Multiple-Choice Questions

Test Bank Chapter 2 Multiple-Choice Questions Test Bank Chapter 2 Multiple-Choice Questions 1. is not a level of analysis? a. An individual b. The community c. The state d. The system 2. Individual-level analysis studies the decision-making process

More information

History of Ideas Exam December

History of Ideas Exam December In the following paper I will first of all outline the role of the state as it is seen by respectively Thomas Hobbes and Emile Durkheim. Then I will compare and discuss their perceptions of the role of

More information

TOWARDS A JUST ECONOMIC ORDER

TOWARDS A JUST ECONOMIC ORDER TOWARDS A JUST ECONOMIC ORDER CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS AND MORAL PREREQUISITES A statement of the Bahá í International Community to the 56th session of the Commission for Social Development TOWARDS A JUST

More information

International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2010 Reconsideration of Theories in Foreign Policy

International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2010 Reconsideration of Theories in Foreign Policy International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2010 Reconsideration of Theories in Foreign Policy Alina Gilitschenski Student of International Economics and European Studies Eberhard-Karls University, Tübingen,

More information

6 Three cultures of anarchy

6 Three cultures of anarchy 6 Three cultures of anarchy In chapter 5 I argued that states are intentional, corporate actors whose identities and interests are in important part determined by domestic politics rather than the international

More information

Chapter 1: Theoretical Approaches to Global Politics

Chapter 1: Theoretical Approaches to Global Politics Chapter 1: Theoretical Approaches to Global Politics I. Introduction A. What is theory and why do we need it? B. Many theories, many meanings C. Levels of analysis D. The Great Debates: an introduction

More information

Global Political Economy

Global Political Economy Global Political Economy 1 Big Deal After 2016 election, the Trump Administration withdrew US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. More than a year later, in early 2018, the remaining 11 members reconstituted

More information

World-Wide Ethics. Chapter Six. Social Contract Theory. of the social contract theory of morality.

World-Wide Ethics. Chapter Six. Social Contract Theory. of the social contract theory of morality. World-Wide Ethics Chapter Six Social Contract Theory How do you play Monopoly? The popular board game of that name was introduced in the US in the 1930s, with a complete set of official rules. But hardly

More information

Property and Progress

Property and Progress Property and Progress Gordon Barnes State University of New York, Brockport 1. Introduction In a series of articles published since 1990, David Schmidtz has argued that the institution of property plays

More information

Social Contract Theory

Social Contract Theory Social Contract Theory Social Contract Theory (SCT) Originally proposed as an account of political authority (i.e., essentially, whether and why we have a moral obligation to obey the law) by political

More information

WHEN EVIDENCE CONFRONTS POLITICS: COMPETING RATIONALITIES IN THE SMART STATE

WHEN EVIDENCE CONFRONTS POLITICS: COMPETING RATIONALITIES IN THE SMART STATE WHEN EVIDENCE CONFRONTS POLITICS: COMPETING RATIONALITIES IN THE SMART STATE Dirk Van Damme Head of the Innovation and Measuring Progress division OECD/EDU Outline What s happening to the state? The smart

More information

Though several factors contributed to the eventual conclusion of the

Though several factors contributed to the eventual conclusion of the Aporia vol. 24 no. 1 2014 Nozick s Entitlement Theory of Justice: A Response to the Objection of Arbitrariness Though several factors contributed to the eventual conclusion of the Cold War, one of the

More information

AN EGALITARIAN THEORY OF JUSTICE 1

AN EGALITARIAN THEORY OF JUSTICE 1 AN EGALITARIAN THEORY OF JUSTICE 1 John Rawls THE ROLE OF JUSTICE Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. A theory however elegant and economical must be

More information

Essentials of International Relations Eighth Edition Chapter 3: International Relations Theories LECTURE SLIDES

Essentials of International Relations Eighth Edition Chapter 3: International Relations Theories LECTURE SLIDES Essentials of International Relations Eighth Edition Chapter 3: International Relations Theories LECTURE SLIDES Copyright 2018 W. W. Norton & Company Learning Objectives Explain the value of studying international

More information

Notes from discussion in Erik Olin Wright Lecture #2: Diagnosis & Critique Middle East Technical University Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Notes from discussion in Erik Olin Wright Lecture #2: Diagnosis & Critique Middle East Technical University Tuesday, November 13, 2007 Notes from discussion in Erik Olin Wright Lecture #2: Diagnosis & Critique Middle East Technical University Tuesday, November 13, 2007 Question: In your conception of social justice, does exploitation

More information

The division of Respect

The division of Respect 1/6 The division of Respect DON MILLIGAN, 13 th February 2008 T he Respect party The Unity Coalition - was not a broad coalition of the left. Founded on 24 th January 2004, it included no trade unions,

More information

Working paper. Man, the State, and Human Trafficking Rethinking Human Trafficking from Constructivist and Policy Making Perspectives

Working paper. Man, the State, and Human Trafficking Rethinking Human Trafficking from Constructivist and Policy Making Perspectives Man, the State, and Human Trafficking Rethinking Human Trafficking from Constructivist and Policy Making Perspectives Ana Oviedo Roldan As globalization continues to progress at an increasing pace and

More information

1. Students access, synthesize, and evaluate information to communicate and apply Social Studies knowledge to Time, Continuity, and Change

1. Students access, synthesize, and evaluate information to communicate and apply Social Studies knowledge to Time, Continuity, and Change COURSE: MODERN WORLD HISTORY UNITS OF CREDIT: One Year (Elective) PREREQUISITES: None GRADE LEVELS: 9, 10, 11, and 12 COURSE OVERVIEW: In this course, students examine major turning points in the shaping

More information